Radiation oncology firm Accuray is promoting a study that found that its CyberKnife stereotactic body radiation therapy (SBRT) system provided long-term pain relief to patients with trigeminal neuralgia.
The researchers from Centro Diagnostico Italiano in Milan used CyberKnife to administer a single 60-Gy radiation dose to a 6-mm segment of the affected cranial nerve in 138 patients with the chronic pain disorder. The treatment alleviated pain in 93.5% of patients starting from three weeks after the procedure, according to the study, which was published in the December 2017 issue of Neurosurgery.
The researchers noted that 78.9% of patients reported they were completely free of pain and did not require medication within six months after treatment, while 76% claimed to have stable pain control for three years after treatment. By the end of the trial, 93.5% of patients ceased using pain medication.
There were a few adverse effects with the treatment: 18.1% of patients had some sensory disturbance, and 68% of these patients experienced complications after a second treatment, the group found.
